Hey Reader,

We are back with a fresh dose of news, inspiration, and resources from the 3D world.

Today, we have ToAnimate’s Ultimate Rigging Course Kickstarter, a fun retro animation made in Blender, and finally, the news about The Free V-ray Community Edition for Blender users.

Let’s dive right in.

​Master 3D Characters Course Update and Sale​

Before we begin, a quick reminder that yesterday we launched our Master 3D Character Course texturing, shading, and hair grooming update (read more about it in yesterday's newsletter).

To celebrate this, we’re running a 20% sale.

20% Coupon Code: TEXTURE20

(Expires May 7th, 2026 - 23:59 CEST)

​Enroll in the course here​

​Ultimate Rigging Course Kickstarter Launched by ToAnimate​

If you’re looking for a good and in-depth rigging course for Blender, this new course by ToAnimate is a must-have! They’ve just launched a Kickstarter campaign, offering a pre-sale of the course (so you can buy it cheaper before it’s released in June).

If you've ever followed any tutorials by ToAnimate, you know they never fail to deliver great quality and easy-to-follow explanations.

​"Slumlordz: Sandwich" - Impressive Lo-Fi Animation Made in Blender​

Slumlordz is a new animated series from Nam Mac. The first episode takes the viewer on a wild ride all around a toast sandwich with a fried egg. 🥪

The world and characters are built with great consistency in a retro low-poly pixelated style that resembles early PlayStation games. This seemingly "simple" look is packed with details and vibrant colors, making the world feel immersive and alive.

It works so well thanks to the dynamic, well-executed animation and readable composition of the shots. The stylized impact frames are a cherry on top, sprinkled with a big dose of humor. What more to ask for?

We’re looking forward to seeing the next episodes.

​Free V-Ray Renderer for Blender​

Chaos has just released a Community Version of their flagship rendering engine, V-Ray for Blender, making it free for individual Blender users.

As usual with such an announcement, the Blender Community’s response is mixed between excitement and suspicion. Let’s clear out the doubts if it’s really free and what the catch is.

First of all, while this edition is really free, you need to activate a license which only lasts for 3 months (but can be renewed as many times as you need).

The render engine can be used for any kind of projects (including commercial ones), but it comes with some limitations, such as a maximum render resolution of 2048x2048 pixels and a lack of pipeline integration tools (which can be crucial for bigger-scale team projects).

Other than that, it’s cool to see another industry-standard rendering option for Blender users (more choice options are always good), and it may help to make Blender even more integrated and common in professional CGI environments.

​Get V-Ray for Blender CE here​
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That’s all for today. Have a great weekend, and until next time.

Jarosław, Zach & Alan (the CG Boost Newsletter Team)